At all three partner schools, there is great enthusiasm among pupils for learning foreign languages and we as teachers are pleased that pupils voluntarily invest part of their free time in learning other European foreign languages. In the Italian, Spanish and Austrian curricula, intercultural learning and multilingualism is seen as an essential part of education in a globalised world. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the project is to strengthen the intercultural education of our students. The IES Delgado Brackenbury (24 participating students) and the lll Circolo Didattico Somma Vesuviana (15 participating students) are schools which, like the NMS Gnas (40 participating students), have a strong focus on multilingualism and intercultural education. In this way, we can form an inter-European triad that not only offers students the opportunity for multilingual education and competence building, but also shows them what it means to be European. Another aim is to address the issue of environment and climate, as the current changes in our society make teaching this content a necessity in all schools. Only through a global rethink can long-term positive changes for our environment be achieved. The starting point chosen for this School Partnership is the topic "Convironment", as we believe that all students and teachers can make their individual contribution to environmental and climate protection. Moreover, this topic can be excellently combined with the SDGs (UNESCO, 2017) and explored by the pupils on a project basis. In the mornings, the respective sub-themes (consumption and sport, consumption and nutrition, etc.) are to be investigated by the pupils with the support of the teachers during project lessons. In the afternoons, this knowledge will be verified and extended in practice. The products of this composition cover a wide range. They range from an imaginary jointly written play, self-written song lyrics and self-cooked food to be tasted together, to the creation of vision boards with solutions to the topic Convironment and the reproduction of culturally important buildings. In addition, the public presentation of the contents developed during the project week and a discussion on the topic during an intercultural evening in the respective communities in Italy, Austria and Spain is planned. Moreover, the pupils will keep a reflection diary during the short-term stays, which the project team can use to determine the extent to which the school partnership has influenced the pupils' and teachers' attitude towards the topic Convironment. In the course of the cooperation, the following key competences for lifelong learning will be promoted in particular: Reading and writing skills (through the writing of reflection diaries), foreign language skills (through ongoing teaching and communication in foreign languages during the project period and through L2 communication among pupils), science skills (through the investigation of the environmental theme), digital skills (through online communication, collaborative work on TwinSpace and online research on the Convironment theme during the project period), personal, social and learning skills (through living with a host family, by getting to know pupils from other countries and cultures and through workshops on social competence), civic competence (by dealing with the topic Convironment and the responsibility that each individual has for society) and cultural awareness and expression (by intercultural exchange, comparing one's own culture with the host culture, drama, music and singing as a joint creation during the exchange). Apart from broadening the key competences, the potential longer-term benefits can range from the environmental impact of the project in a small circle (the respective pupils start avoiding waste and buy regional, seasonal products) to more far-reaching changes. For example, the partner schools could decide to ban plastic waste from schools, inform and educate the citizens of the community about the issue, encourage them to rethink and possibly implement further environmental and climate change projects. Source: UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals. Learning objectives. Paris.
At both schools, MS Gnas and IES Delgado Brackenbury, there is great enthusiasm among the students for learning foreign languages and we as teachers are happy that students voluntarily invest some of their free time in learning more European foreign languages. In the Spanish and Austrian curriculum, intercultural learning and multilingualism is seen as an essential part of education in a globalised world. Therefore, one of the main goals of the project is to strengthen the intercultural education of our students. IES Delgado Brackenbury (24 participating students) is a school that, like MS Gnas (25 participating students), has a strong focus on multilingualism and intercultural education. In addition to intercultural education, working on the topic of "environment and climate" was another goal, as the current changes in our society make dealing with this topic a necessity in all schools. The starting point chosen for this school partnership is the topic of "ConVIRONMENT", as we believe that all pupils and teachers can make their individual contribution to environmental and climate protection by changing their consumption behaviour. Moreover, this topic can be excellently combined with the SDGs (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2017) and explored by the students on a project basis. The whole implementation of the project became a difficult undertaking in the context of Covid-19. Not only did we lose one of the project partners because of this, but due to the arduous situation at the schools, we had to do without some of the planned project activities, or carry them out in a very slimmed-down version, as the children were in an already difficult situation because of homeschooling. For example, mutual online language lessons were foregone in order to save the children more screen time. However, everyone involved did everything possible to implement the project as planned. Special thanks go to the pupils who engaged with the project content as best they could during these difficult two school years. During the regular school hours, the pupils repeatedly dealt with the topic of "Consumption and Environment" within the framework of Spanish, Italian and English lessons. The activities were planned in such a way that the participants had to work online with their respective buddies in order to complete the activity successfully. The most intensive work on the project topics was done during the two project weeks in Gnas and Las Cabezas de San Juan. The highlight of the project week in Gnas was the public presentation of the contents developed during the project week to which all pupils and teachers as well as the community of Gnas were invited. The products of the cooperation cover a wide range. From self-written song lyrics and jointly cooked food to the creation of posters with solutions for responsible consumer behaviour and environmental protection. At the end of the project, a survey was conducted with the pupils to reflect on what they had learned. Both in Spain and Austria we received positive and enthusiastic feedback from the pupils. The pupils particularly emphasised how much they had benefited from the language and how much they had learned about the other culture. Less advantageous were the sometimes different age groups of the pupils, which resulted from the different types of schools. In some cases, therefore, only friendships of a sibling-like nature could form (e.g. big sister, little sister). Nevertheless, the exchange was perceived as a thoroughly positive experience. In regular lessons, an increased sensitivity for environmental issues was noticeable among the project participants. In the course of the cooperation, the following competences could be promoted among the pupils: Intercultural Competence, Foreign Language Competence, Literacy, Scientific Competence, Digital Competence, Social Competence, Civic Competence and Cultural Awareness and Expression. The long-term benefits of this project are great, because the pupils were able to make friends for life and, especially against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, they were able to develop an awareness of the importance of the European Union as a peace project. We teachers have also made friends and would like to stay in touch and exchange good practice. Source: UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals. Learning objectives. Paris.